CONCLUSIONS AND CONTEMPORARY INTELLIGENCE STUDIES
The generally accepted wisdom, according to a number of fairly well-done studies, is that the average (nonincarcerated) criminal IQ is 90 (92 or 93, depending upon who's study you use), but conventional wisdom holds that there is usually a ten point gap (90 v. 100) between criminals and the average for the rest of the population. The incarcerated criminals who have gotten caught tend to have much lower IQs, often around 85 or so, which triggers status as a mentally "disabled" inmate or one with a "learning disability." Contemporary researchers like E. Wilson (who wrote the first textbook on Sociobiology) and C. Ray Jeffrey (a Florida State criminologist) have tried to sort out the reasons for why criminals have at least an seven or eight-point gap. Some claim it's a neurotransmitter problem, others the inability to interact with the environment, and others the effect of alienating labeling in school. Some psychopaths and those with certain mental conditions (like paranoia) have high IQ, but these cases are rare. Be advised that even though a seven (7), eight (8), or ten (10) point difference in IQ may not look like much, and indeed, many researchers will dismiss such differences as being within the "normal" range of variation, more detailed research (Goodman 1995) will almost always find A FEW POINTS MATTER, and even differences of six (6) points will be associated with more lying, cheating, stealing, and conduct disorders.